Slumber (Beauty Never Dies Chronicles Book 1)

by J. L. Weil

  He stared at me. “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit,” I argued. “Something happened to me, didn’t it, because I’ve been exposed?” I beseeched him with my expression. I wanted the truth, no matter how desolate.

  He shrugged, scooting back over to his side of the fire, and stoked the dwindling flames. “I can’t be certain, but I’m going out on a limb and assuming you didn’t have rainbow-colored eyes before.”

  Uh, what? “My eyes are green,” I protested.

  “Hate to break it to you, Freckles, but you now have a striking blend of violet, blue, green, and pink running through your irises. They aren’t eyes anyone is likely to forget.”

  I didn’t want to believe him. “Any chance you’re packing a mirror?”

  He chuckled. “Afraid you’re shit out of luck.”

  “Is it permanent?”

  “I don’t know, probably. It could mean that you’re one of the gifted … or cursed, as I like to say.”

  “Gifted how?” I asked, leery.

  He sighed, realizing he’d opened up a whole another can of worms. “It varies. And like I said, I don’t know. It could be that the drugs had an unusual effect on you.”

  “How will I know?”

  A muscle drummed along his jaw and a moment later stilled. “If your cells have been mutated, it will make itself known eventually. It always does in some way, shape, or form.”

  “Did the mist change you?”

  For a moment, his eyes were bright and wild, like a feral mutt, but then he blinked and was normal again. That brief glimpse of fury told me what I needed to know; Dash had been affected by the mist. “What’s with the fifty questions? Here,” he tossed a rolled up blanket at me, completely ignoring the question. “I wasn’t expecting company, but it should do for the night.”

  I got the answer loud and clear. Anything personal about his life was off limits … for now. I wrapped the dark blue material around my shoulders, trying not to wish it were softer. “How long has it been since the attack?”

  He poked a twig in the fire. “A hundred years.”

  It hit me with the force of an unbridled tornado, my eyes bulging. “I’ve been asleep for over a hundred years?”

  He leaned back, crossing his arms. “It’s a real ball kicker, isn’t it? The ceraspan was designed to keep our bodies frozen in time for a hundred years, giving the world time to rid itself of the deadly mist and restore life. Joke was on us. The mist might not be present, but its consequences are everywhere.”

  “Do you have any good news about this world?”

  “No. Tonight was just a taste of the disappointments to come. Get used to it, Freckles. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  My face flamed. “Are you always so pleasant to be around?”

  He flashed a dazzling smile, and all I could do was stare, stupefied, like a moron. “You caught me on a good day.”

  “Oh, goodie.” He was trying my patience. I thought I was handling everything pretty damn well, so why did he insist on being such a d-bag? If I hadn’t felt like a fish out of water, I would have strolled right out of this cave and left Dash eating my dust. As much as it burned my butt, I needed him. How else was I going to find my family? Or survive? I had no idea what I was dealing with out there.

  “I’m going to Hurst in the morning—a settlement north of here. Unless you have other plans, you can tag along.” He stretched out on the cold, stony surface, yawning. It was clear he was a walking zombie. “Right now, I need to sleep before I drop dead. Then you’ll really be screwed.” His silver eyes were half closed. Shifting on the ground, he propped his head under his arms. “You’ll be safe,” he mumbled almost inaudibly.

  An unsettled feeling formed in the pit of my stomach. The thing was, I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d never be safe again, and this was just the beginning of something big.

  Chapter 3

  I tried to ignore the way his shirt strained across his chest. “I can’t sleep,” I said, fidgeting on the hard, bumpy surface. A tinge of guilt wove through me as he yawned.

  “It will pass … in time.” He spoke with experience.

  I wanted to ask him about his first night—how he had awoken—but something held me back; something in his eyes told me not to unlock those memories, not just yet. We barely knew each other, but he had secrets. There was more to Dash than meets the eye. “I don’t want to close my eyes,” I more or less pouted.

  His half-lidded gaze filled with empathy. “Everyone is afraid to sleep those first few days, weeks even. Eventually, your body and mind will betray you. You’re going to need your strength.”

  “Do you live in Hurst?”

  “No, but the quarters are much more … accommodating,” he added, eyeing the rocky cave walls.

  He made me sound like an ungrateful snob. I might have been at one time, like decades ago, but I was beginning to see things differently. “A settlement? What is this, the 1800s?”

  “You have no idea.” His eyes drifted shut, voice trailing off as he dropped into the world of dreams, leaving me utterly alone.

  My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe he was going to sleep—the gall. The last thing I wanted to do was sleep. I’d just woken up from a hundred year slumber, and the questions buzzing around in my head were getting louder. The silence gave me a moment to think … actually, overthink was more like it.

  What was I going to do?

  I had no home, no place to go. I didn’t know if my family was alive. Or awake.

  The fire crackled as I stared into the low flames. Tomorrow was a long ways away; what did he expect me to do for the next seven hours? Twiddle my thumbs?

  Looking over my shoulder, I cut a glance to the mouth of the cave. I could always do a bit of exploring, not far of course. See if the world had really changed that much. It sounded like a very bad idea, especially when I caught a flash of two glowing eyes the size of buttons staring back at me. Holy crap. Whatever was watching me was as big as a raccoon, but instead of scampering, it slithered. Hell-to-the-no. I covered my mouth, stifling a yelp. The shelter of the cave was beginning to look quite appealing.

  Giving the entrance my back, I wrapped my arms around my legs and studied the mysterious Dash. I unabashedly took my fill, admiring how sleep softened his features highlighted by the dancing of firelight. He might make me want to bang my head against a brick wall, but at least he was smokin’ hot.

  A small giggle escaped.

  Had I really just thought that? It didn’t make it any less true. A piece of dark hair fell over the side of his face. There was something about him, something unusual that I couldn’t put my finger on, but one thing was for certain: I was insanely attracted to him.

  I’d rather die than ever admit it to him, though.

  Holy smokes! A thought just occurred to me: I hadn’t kissed a boy in over a hundred years, and I was still a virgin. That had to be a world record.

  As entertaining as it was, staring at him like a total creeper, I eventually got bored, but not before I had a few interesting fantasies. And Dash had the starring role.

  “Dash,” I whispered. Nothing. “Dash,” I called a tad louder, contemplating poking him with a stick, and then sighed. “You can’t just leave me alone like this,” I muttered. Didn’t he understand there was no way in seven kingdoms I could sleep?

  I laid my head on my hands, observing him, waiting for morning. It was like watching corn grow. I wasn’t known for my patience, apparently that hadn’t changed after a hundred years.

  Wow. That was insane to think about. This was going to be the longest, loneliest night of my life.

  The next time I blinked, the sun was rising at my back, streaming beams of light across the floor. That had been a wild dream—a frozen slumber, sleeping in a cave, the guy with the silver eyes. Too bad he wasn’t real; he’d been totally datable.

  I stretched, thinking about breakfast, and my stomach grumbled like I hadn’t eaten in a month. The material covering me scratched
at my arms, itching in uncomfortable places. On a normal day, I pulled the covers back over my head and hit the snooze button for at least another thirty minutes. But as I rolled over to check the clock on the nightstand, I wanted to cry.

  What in the holy hell?

  Staring up at the stalactite ceiling, a scream bubbled up in my throat. It hadn’t been a horrible dream. Everything seemed surreal and foggy, as if I’d imagined the whole encounter.

  The icicle-shaped formations glittered in the beams of sunlight like amethyst crystals. I must have dozed for a few moments. Shaking off the weird sensation of being in a strange place, I drew in a breath, steeling myself for what was to come next. Less than twelve hours ago, I’d been fast asleep, unaware of what had happened to the world around me. It was understandable that I was a wee bit paranoid.

  I inhaled the scent of charred wood, a damp musk, and something masculine. Sitting up, I hugged my legs, eyes zeroing in on a black and red spot. It crawled over the cave walls—big, hairy, with eight red beady eyes.

  Son of a lipstick.

  There was a demonic spider eyeballing me.

  Squealing like a little girl, I scooted across the rocky floor, moving closer to Dash and as far as I could from the tarantula thingamabob scuttling alongside the edge of the wall. I don’t know how it entirely happened, but I ended up in Dash’s lap.

  Impossibly full lips curved into a slow grin, revealing deep dimples on either side of his cheeks. Dash had dimples. “Well, hello, sunshine,” he greeted, his voice husky from sleep. He had his hands on my hips to catch me, as I had pretty much jumped on top of him.

  A strange edginess moved into the air as we stared at each other. An almost electric feeling coursed through me. He was all male and hard in the places I was soft. Being this close to him was startling, causing all sorts of sensations. I wiggled, making a move to untangle myself from this intimate, yet awkward situation, when I felt something. I blushed; my cheeks matched my hair, making me look like my whole head was on fire, and my blood was pumping way too fast.

  Had I really felt what I thought? I got more than I bargained for this morning. Quickly, I jumped off his lap. Oh God, I was going to die of embarrassment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  His lips twitched, and he cast me a long look, brushing the disheveled hair out of his eyes.

  I dropped my head into my hands. Shoot me now. “That, ah, came out wrong.”

  The smug smile was plastered all over his face. “They’re harmless, you know. It’s one of the few things in these woods that is.”

  “Good to know.” I still didn’t want to be within ten feet of one. “What was it?”

  “A laider.”

  I shuddered. “Gross.”

  “Are you hungry?” he asked, rumbling through his pack.

  I’d forgotten about my hunger, but now that he mentioned food, I was dying for a Big Mac and a supersized fry. Screw a salad; I needed something with substance, but I was guessing there wasn’t a drive-through around the corner. “I could eat.” And eating was way better than thinking about being in his lap.

  He tossed me a cloth-wrapped bar.

  “What’s this?” I asked, inspecting the contents. It looked similar to a granola bar—dried fruit of some sort embedded in a crunching coating.

  “Food.”

  “Thanks, Captain Obvious. What’s in it?”

  He bit off a huge chuck of his. “Who knows? But it won’t poison you. Just close your eyes and pretend it’s blueberry pancakes and bacon.”

  Why did he have to mention bacon?

  Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with foodie cravings. Taking a nip out of the bar, I chewed. It wasn’t half bad, but it wasn’t amazing. It would curb my appetite for a while.

  And then what?

  “We’ll have to grab something to eat midday, but this should hold us over until we can find something to kill.”

  “Kill?” I echoed, the granola going stale in my mouth.

  “Survival of the fittest.” Dash had already managed to scarf down his breakfast and was snuffing out any lingering sparks of the fire with his boot. “We need to head out; put as much distance between us and the holding house as possible. It’s going to take most of the day to get to Hurst.”

  “I’m assuming you don’t have a car?” I asked, pushing to my feet. I stretched out my achy muscles. Turned out that sleeping sitting up on a cave floor was hard on the body.

  He chuckled, holding out a canister of what I assumed was water. “Cars are a thing of the past, Freckles.”

  Of course they were. That would have been too convenient. I took a swig, not wanting to be overly greedy with his rations. But I could have drank a river my throat was so dry.

  Together we quickly gathered up his measly supplies, and Dash tossed the bag over his shoulders. At the mouth of the cave, he surveyed the area. “Look, I travel alone. After I get you to Hurst, you’re on your own. I don’t have time to babysit, so make sure you keep up or get left behind. Got it?”

  Sheesh, he wasn’t winning any nice guy awards. Was he giving me a choice? Because it didn’t sound like it; it sounded as if he couldn’t wait to get rid of me. Whatever. I didn’t need him. I tilted my chin up just slightly. “Fine,” I agreed. “On one condition.”

  He arched a brow.

  I crossed my arms, firming my stance. “You get me there in one piece, unharmed.” Momma didn’t raise no fool. Traveling alone with a stranger, I needed to keep my guard up, regardless of how dreamy he looked.

  His grin spread, and those dimples decided to play peek-a-boo. “Promise.”

  Oh, boy. That smirk was going to get me into trouble. I could tell.

  Dash had told me not to trust him, and damn if that mischievous grin didn’t tell me he wasn’t exactly a man of honor. I had a feeling this journey was going to be anything but uneventful. Yet what choice did I have? I had to trust him.

  Some of the impishness slipped out of his eyes. “Here’s the deal. We’re in the middle of the Dying Labyrinth. If you want to survive the maze, don’t wander. Watch your step wherever you go. Too many nasties lurking. We wouldn’t want you to get snatched up by a kelstag or fall down a rabous hole. Don’t eat anything in the woods. Nothing,” he emphasized, holding my gaze.

  “Got it.” I took a step and winced. A jagged rock had sliced into my sole. I steadied myself with one hand on the cavern wall, removing the sharp pebble from my slipper. How was I going to hike through the woods in ballet slippers? I wouldn’t last an hour.

  Dash took notice of my discomfort. “You should have said something last night,” he scowled, sounding angry.

  What did he have to be pissy about? I was the one in agony. “We were sort of busy.”

  He shook his head, like I was the one at fault.

  “It’s fine,” I assured him. “I’ll survive.”

  “The day isn’t over yet,” he said, before jumping down off the rock.

  I waited a moment or two to see if he was going to lend me a hand. My mistake. I huffed, lifting my skirt and took the plunge. Jerk. I guess chivalry had died with the mist.

  I began to follow behind when I was struck with the uncomfortable urge to pee. It was starting to hurt. “Wait,” I called.

  Dash paused and turned around to face me, arching a brow.

  Short of doing a pee-pee dance, I squeezed my legs together. “Um, I kind of need to use the bathroom.”

  “Pick a tree … except for the ones with yellow tipped leaves. Once those suckers get their vines on you, you’re pretty much toast. I’ll keep watch.”

  Watch for what? I didn’t ask. Guess I was doing this old school, like really, really old school, peeing in the woods. I glanced between the trees and settled on the big one we hid under last night with its weeping branches. Wiggling the material of my dress up, I judged how long I could hold it. Considering I hadn’t gone in a hundred years, one sneeze or cough and I’d lose all bladder control. Ugh.

  I could hear Dash whis
tling as he waited. Hiking up my dress, I did my business, pushing aside any embarrassment. It was a human action. Everyone had to go.

  Feeling like I could breathe again, I shoved the long, sweeping branches out of my way as I exited the coverage of the tree. Dash was lounging against the side of a trunk, looking bored. “Everything go okay?” he asked as I approached.

  “Did you want details?”

  Dash didn’t respond. A confused, almost curious look crossed his face. He shook his head and we started our journey.

  I followed like a lost puppy, leaving behind the safety of the cave. We traveled with the sun to our left, picking up a narrow path buried deep in the thicket. I didn’t know how he found it or how he knew which direction to go, but he hadn’t been kidding about the woods being a maze, so I was overjoyed to see the little trail. The last thing I wanted was to get lost in this eerie yet beautiful place. It was as if it couldn’t make up its mind whether to scare the bejeezus out of me or lure me with its decadent wares.

  And there were plenty: shining red apples, deep plums, trees strung with cherries, and bushes nestled with a variety of berries, but Dash had been very strict on the no eating policy. My stomach was protesting.

  Just as we reached the path, my ridiculous skirt caught on a bristle, shortly taking my mind off my hunger. I yanked, but the bush was stubborn, like it had its claws in me. Squatting down, I cursed, fighting to pull the material free, but the harder I wrenched, the more snarled I found myself. A section of my skirt was now weaved with vines.

  Huh?

  A shadow fell over me. “If this is how our morning is going to go, we’re never going to get there before nightfall.”

  I glared at his boots, contemplating stomping on them. “Oh, so it’s my fault I’m wearing a ball gown.”

  “Why are you wearing one?”

  I swallowed a laugh as mad as the hatter. “Because I have nothing else.”

  His brows drew together. “No, that’s not what I meant. Most people after the ceraspan were issued prison-like jumpsuits.”

  “How would I know?” I snarled. “You’re the one with all the answers.”